Politics & Government

As far as topics go, politics may be as divisive as they come. Still, there's no escaping the role that it plays in our lives. The texts in this collection explore the gamut of how politics shapes and reshapes societies throughout history.

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags History: U.S., American Revolution, Colonial America, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government

Published in 2004, Cokie Roberts’s Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation is a non-fiction, historical study of the role women played in establishing the United States as an independent nation. This study guide refers to the first edition of the text, published by William Morrow-HarperCollins in 2004.  In her introduction, Roberts recalls her childhood delight at hearing tales of her ancestor William Claiborne, who met the Founding Fathers. However, she recognizes that she... Read Founding Mothers Summary


Publication year 1941

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, African American Literature, American Civil War, History: World, Politics / Government


Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Politics / Government, History: World, WWI / World War I


Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Class, Society: Economics

Tags Business / Economics, Sociology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology, Politics / Government

Rarely does a book about economics attract a large audience, but Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything sold 4 million copies after its 2005 debut. The book, by University of Chicago professor Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner, explains how incentives—the reasons why people do things—can cause unusual and unexpected effects in many areas of life.Praised and reviled for its outside-the-box approach—the work was condemned for suggesting that liberalized abortion laws... Read Freakonomics Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Politics / Government, American Civil War, Reconstruction Era, Military / War, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government


Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism

Tags Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World


Publication year 1980

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics

Tags Business / Economics, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Free to Choose is a nonfiction book first published in 1980 and written by Milton and Rose Friedman. The text advocates for free market principles and was made into a ten-part television series. Free to Choose attempts to answer questions including: Why do government programs so often fail to reach their goals? Why do children do worse at school while taxpayers pay more and more to support their education? Why must we fill out a... Read Free To Choose Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Crime / Legal, Politics / Government, Finance / Money / Wealth, Journalism, Social Justice, Russian Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Business / Economics, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Immigration, Natural World: Food, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Anthropology, Social Justice, Sociology, Health / Medicine, Education, Education, Anthropology, Food, Politics / Government


Publication year 1989

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Jewish Literature, Military / War, Journalism, History: World, Travel Literature, Politics / Government

From Beirut to Jerusalem is a 1989 book by the American journalist Thomas Friedman. It chronicles the years he spent as a journalist in the two cities of the book’s name, during a remarkably tumultuous period in that region’s politics. It is part personal memoir, part analysis (leaning on the advice of many of his expert friends, such as Fouad Ajami), part collection of anecdotes ranging from the funny to the heartbreaking to the absurd... Read From Beirut to Jerusalem Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, History: U.S., Business / Economics, Diversity, Class, Education, Finance / Money / Wealth, Poverty, Politics / Government, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Sociology, History: World


Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment

Tags Journalism, Politics / Government, Science / Nature, History: World, Health / Medicine, Biography

Full Body Burden: Growing up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats is a 2012 nonfiction account by Kristen Iversen. Half memoir, half investigative journalism, the book covers Iversen’s life in a town near Denver, Colorado, as well as Rocky Flats—the nearby nuclear production facility. Quiet, observant, and adventurous, Iversen is the oldest of four children. The family keeps many pets, and Iversen adores horseback riding on their pasture at a new neighborhood near Rocky Flats... Read Full Body Burden Summary


Publication year 1989

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Published in 1990, Judith Butler's Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity is a seminal work in feminism and a foundational work in queer theory. This study guide is based on the 2006 Routledge edition of Butler’s text. Butler's primary aims in the work are to make a case for rejecting an essential female identity as the basis for feminist practice and to come up with an account of gender formation without recourse to... Read Gender Trouble Summary


Publication year 1796

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government, American Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction


Publication year 1981

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Language

Tags Business / Economics, Psychology, Self Help, Leadership/Organization/Management, Relationships, Politics / Government, Psychology

Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (1981) is a business and self-help book by Roger Fisher and William Ury. It teaches a principled method of settling disputes so that both sides win. Revised in 1991 and 2011, the book has sold 15 million copies in 35 languages, spent several years on the BusinessWeek bestseller list, and is one of the most commonly cited works on lists of the best negotiation books. Authors Fisher... Read Getting to Yes Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Journalism, Race / Racism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Ghettoside, written by Jill Leovy and published in 2015, follows the investigation of and trial for the murder of Bryant Tennelle, the son of a Los Angeles homicide detective, through the late 2000s. In doing so, the author examines the critical epidemic of black-on-black violence in communities such as South Central Los Angeles in order to explicate the root causes, systemic issues, and contemporary problems that continue to contribute to higher rates of homicide in... Read Ghettoside Summary


Publication year 1964

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Journalism, Education, Education, History: U.S., Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government

Gideon’s Trumpet, written in 1964, is a book that details a landmark court case, Gideon v. Wainwright, that came before the Supreme Court of the United States of America in 1963. It tells the story of Clarence Gideon, whose case became the key foundation of the modern interpretation of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments: that criminal defendants have a right to counsel at both the federal and state level even if they cannot afford a... Read Gideon’s Trumpet Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

Girls Like Us: Fighting For a World Where Girls Are Not For Sale, is a memoir by Rachel Lloyd that challenges how sexually exploited girls are treated and perceived in society. The book was originally published by Harper Perennial in February 2012 to positive reviews from various sources and figures such as Elle, Marie Claire, Demi Moore, Harlem Children’s Zone, and Tony Award-winning playwright and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sarah Jones. Rachel Lloyd, a survivor of... Read Girls Like Us Summary